Dougherty County Emergency Management Agency Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Update
Wednesday, August 19th, 2020
A press briefing was held today at 10 a.m. in Room 100 of the Government Center at 222 Pine Avenue to update citizens via Facebook Live, Government Ac- cess Channel 16, WALB-TV, and WFXL-TV Live on the current state of the community for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) also remains open until further notice, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily by calling 229.302.1900.
At today’s briefing, City of Albany Mayor Bo Dorough, and Dougherty County Board of Commis- sioners Chairman Cohilas emphasized to the community the importance of continuing to prac- tice safety and preventative measures with COVID-19 on the rise in the area. They strongly en- couraged citizens to continue to wear masks, wash hands, sanitize, and practice social distanc- ing and to avoid large social gatherings to prevent the spread of the disease. Updates were also provided by Dr. Steven Kitchen, Phoebe Health Systems, Dr. Charles Ruis, Department of Pub- lic Health’s Southwest District, and Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler.
The City of Albany and Dougherty County Government offices and buildings opened to the pub- lic on Monday, June 22, 2020, for regular business hours, with city and county employees re- turning to work on the Phase One schedule, which will continue to remain in place until further notice. Officials will continue to monitor conditions and will decide when to move to Phase Two of the Return to Work Plan for Dougherty County. Visitors to any city and county buildings will be required to wear a mask prior to entering.
Updates from Dougherty County School System: The Dougherty County School System (Grades 9-12), August 17th; Middle School Students (Grades 6-8), August 24th; and Elementary School Students (Grades PK-5), August 31st. An online instructional model will be implemented to include asynchronous and synchronous learning; teacher directed/assigned instruction; self- paced personalized practice on assignment (homework); Livestream and recorded instruction, using one of their district approved digital platforms; parent resources for additional academic support; and use of approved evidence-based interventions for students in special populations, including ESP and ESOL. Device distribution dates are as follows: High School, August 3-7; Middle School, August 10-14; and Elementary School, August 17-21. Meal distributions will re-sume on August 3rd with Monday and Wednesday deliveries only. Routes will be based on high school clusters.
For more information, visit docoschools.org/reopen.
Updates from Dougherty County Public Health, Southwest District: COVID-19 testing re- mains available for all Georgians through the Department of Public Health. Appointments are strongly encouraged and residents can schedule an appointment 24/7 at covid19.dph.ga.gov or call the hotline Monday through Saturday at 229.352.6567. Public Health Testing Locations in- clude the following counties: Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Grady, Lee, Mitchell, Terrell, Thomas, and Worth.
For information about COVID-19, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Updates from Dougherty County Judicial: The Dougherty County Judicial Building will be lim- ited with strict guidelines for visitors and the courts will not resume until August 14, 2020, unless the State of Georgia decides to extend the Judicial Order. For the full list of guidelines for the Dougherty County Judicial Circuit, visit http://dougherty.ga.us/filestor- age/1800/379008/379647/Guidelines.pdf
The City of Albany and Dougherty County boards will continue to hold regular meetings virtually and will be available via Facebook Live on the City of Albany Facebook page and the Dougherty County Georgia Government Facebook page. Visitors can also view the meetings on Media- comm’s Channel 16, Government Channel.
For the latest updates on the Coronavirus and its effects on Dougherty County, stay tuned to our Facebook page @DoughertyCountyGeorgiaGovernment, and on Twitter and Instagram pages @1doughertycoga. Or, call the EOC line at 229.302.1900, for more information.
For statewide updates, visit dph.georgia.gov. For national information, visit cdc.gov.
